Already Gone
by Criala
Summary: As she lay dying, she only has one last thought. (Itachi/OC)
1. Chapter 1

Title Credit:Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson.

This is part one of two.  
And I'm really proud of this!  
So, please let me know what you think. :)

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Only Ayumi and the plot belong to me.**

* * *

Coughing echoed throughout the surrounding area. Blood splattered on the ground. A feminine groan soon followed, along with the sound of a body colliding with a tree trunk.

"So this is how it ends…" A young female murmured to herself. She slumped further against the tree trunk, her hand pressed against her stomach in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but crimson kept pouring from between her fingers. Blue irises stared, watching as the blood flowed down and pooled on the ground beside her.

An enemy had caught her off guard. A group had ambushed her while she was traveling through the forest. While she was fighting one, another stabbed her in the stomach from behind, his blade going right through her flesh as if it were butter. She managed to fend them off long enough for her to make her escape.

"I can't believe it… That it's ending like this…" A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "And I'm talking to myself." Her eyes drooped shut, but she quickly snapped them open. She couldn't give into the darkness. Not just yet.

"It's not a horrible way to die. There are worse ways that I could die…" She whispered to herself. Her body began to go limp against the tree trunk as her eyes slowly began to close. Distant memories blurred through her mind.

~X~

" _ **Itachi-kun!" A young girl with black hair and blue eyes called out, waving her arm wildly in the air.**_

 _ **A young boy with raven locks and onyx eyes turned to look at her. He had his hair tied back in a ponytail with his bangs framing his face. "Ayumi-san."**_

" _ **Hi!" She grinned at him, and the grin looked right at home on her face.**_

" _ **Hello." He nodded to her.**_

" _ **What are you doing?" Ayumi asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.**_

" _ **I just got back from a mission. I'm heading home now." He answered.**_

" _ **Oh, cool. I'll walk with you!" She beamed, bouncing lightly on her feet.**_

" _ **Alright." He turned and continued on his way.**_

" _ **How did your mission go?" She asked, skipping as she walked beside him, lacing her fingers together in front of her. "Did you already turn in your mission report?"**_

" _ **It went fine, and yes, I have. I just left the Hokage's office." He responded, keeping his gaze in front of him.**_

" _ **Good!" She smiled. "What did you have to do for it?"**_

" _ **It was just an escort mission."**_

" _ **Cool! Was it difficult?"**_

" _ **It was fairly easy."**_

" _ **Did you have to fight anyone?"**_

" _ **No." He didn't seem to be bothered by all of the questions she was asking. Some people might have been annoyed by it, but he didn't appear to be.**_

" _ **Oh, okay." She nodded her head. She seemed to be done asking questions for the time being.**_

 _ **The rest of the walk was made in silence, but she didn't care, and he didn't seem to either. The silence wasn't awkward; in fact it seemed almost pleasant.**_

~X~

" _ **Ouch!" Ayumi whimpered in pain, clasping one of her hands around her ankle. She had tripped over a tree branch while collecting some berries and herbs for her mother. Her mother was one of the people that helped make medical supplies for the village. She wiggled her ankle lightly, causing another whimper to escape her lips. It hurt a lot to move her ankle. What was she going to do now? How would she get home on a hurt ankle? It was going to get dark out soon.**_

" _ **Ayumi-san?"**_

 _ **She looked up at the sound of the voice, relief overcoming her entire body. "Itachi-kun!"**_

" _ **What happened?" He asked, looking down at her.**_

" _ **I was collecting some herbs and berries for my mom, but I tripped over a tree root and hurt my ankle…" She frowned, rubbing her ankle gently and wincing as pain shot up her leg.**_

" _ **You should be more careful." He spoke as he knelt down to take a look at her ankle. He was careful as he handled it, supporting it with one hand as he lifted it. Then he began to press here and there, gauging her reaction as he did so.**_

" _ **Ow, that hurt!" She glared down at him, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Pain seared through her ankle each time that he pressed against it.**_

" _ **Well, luckily it's not broken. It is sprained badly though, so you should stay off of it for a few days." He told her, turning around and crouching down. "Get on."**_

" _ **What?" She blinked, looking confused.**_

" _ **How else are you going to get home?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow at her from over his shoulder.**_

 _ **She was silent for a moment, before she sighed, murmuring. "I guess you're right…" She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, so she could secure herself on his back.**_

 _ **He reached his arms back and took a hold of her calves. Once she was completely secure on his back, he stood up straight and began walking, easily carrying her weight.**_

" _ **Thank you." She sighed softly, letting her head drop against the back of his shoulder. Her bangs brushed against the back of his neck and the collar of his shirt.**_

 _ **He merely nodded his head as a response, jostling her bangs as he did so.**_

 _ **She let her eyes close and began to lightly doze off as he made his way back to the village.**_

~X~

" _ **You're so strong, Itachi-kun." She stated, staring up at the sky and watching the clouds go by.**_

" _ **Oh?" He glanced at her.**_

" _ **Yeah, I mean… I feel like I'm light years behind you. I'm just a Chunin. You're already the Captain of an Anbu team!" She sighed, her shoulders slumping and her gaze dropping to the ground. "You're lucky that you're so strong."**_

 _ **A humorless chuckle left his lips. "Being great isn't all it's cracked up to be, Ayumi-san. Remember that." He told her, the tone of his voice was blank, dry.**_

 _ **She tilted her head, blinking and looking at him curiously. There was something about the way he said that… The tone of his voice… That was just off, but she shrugged it off, nodding. "Right…"**_

~X~

 _ **Ayumi walked into the Hokage's office to turn in her mission report. She had been out of the village on a mission for a few days, and she'd just gotten back that morning. It had been a really easy mission. All she had to do was escort a man back home. They weren't attacked, so the mission went along smoothly.**_

" _ **Hokage-sama?" She questioned.**_

 _ **The Hokage glanced up at her. "Ah, hello Ayumi-san. Back from your mission already?"**_

" _ **Yes, I just got back this morning." She smiled, approaching his desk and placing the mission report on it.**_

" _ **Thank you." He returned her smile. "Your effort is appreciated. Be sure to rest now that you're back."**_

" _ **I will, Hokage-sama. I'm heading back now." She bowed to him and left his office. While she was on her way home, she debated stopping at Ichiraku's for some ramen. Her mind drifted into the clouds as she began to day dream, not quite paying attention to where she was going. However, she was knocked out of her day dreams when she ran into someone.**_

" _ **Ah!" She grunted as she nearly fell backwards onto the ground, but she managed to catch and steady herself.**_

" _ **Hey, watch where you're going!" The high pitched voice of a young boy huffed.**_

 _ **Ayumi blinked and looked down at who she'd run into. "Sasuke-kun…?"**_

" _ **Oh. It's you, Ayumi-chan." He looked up at her.**_

" _ **Hey." She gave a lazy wave, glancing around. That was odd. Itachi wasn't with him. Normally he was accompanying his younger brother. "Where's Itachi?"**_

 _ **At the mention of Itachi, Sasuke's demeanor completely changed, and his face fell.**_

" _ **What is it…?" She asked with concern evident in her voice. What had caused such a drastic change?**_

"…" _**His bottom lip trembled, his gaze falling to the ground as his bangs shielded them from view.**_

 _ **She reached out a hand and gently laid it upon one of his shoulders.**_

 _ **But Sasuke shrugged her hand off, clenching his small hands into fists and turning away from her. With that, he walked away from her.**_

" _ **Sasuke-kun!" She called out, taking a couple of steps after him. But he broke out into a run, rushing off.**_

" _ **What's wrong with him?" She asked aloud without realizing it, staring at his back as it grew smaller and smaller in the distance until it completely disappeared.**_

" _ **You didn't hear?" A surprised voice from her right questioned.**_

 _ **She pulled her gaze away from where Sasuke had been to find an older woman there. Not anyone that she knew personally, but she did see the woman around the village occasionally and would greet her.**_

" _ **No." She shook her head. "I was away on a mission."**_

" _ **The Uchiha clan was wiped out." The older woman replied, a hint of sadness in her voice and on her face. "Sasuke was the only one to survive the massacre."**_

" _ **What?!" Ayumi's eyes widened considerably. "How? I mean... Who? What?" How could that have happened while she was out on her mission? "It... Itachi was killed too?"**_

" _ **Dear... Itachi was the one who killed the clan." The woman's words froze Ayumi to that spot. Her brain was still trying to process the information she'd just received. Itachi… Itachi had been the one who had taken out whole Uchiha clan…?**_

~X~

The memories brought tears to the corner of her eyes. And as they faded away, there was one last thought that went through her mind before she was completely consumed by the darkness.

 _I didn't get to see him again…_


	2. Chapter 2

Title credit: Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson.

Alright, so here's part two of two.  
I hope that you enjoy it.  
I'm super proud of this.  
Let me know what you think. :)

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Only Ayumi and the plot belong to me.**

* * *

"What is that, Itachi-san?" The blue skinned man, whom also held fish like features, wondered out loud as he paused in his stride. He turned his head and squinted, trying to see better. Something in the distance had caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. There was something against one of the far off trees, but he couldn't tell what it was from where he was. Whatever it was, it held barely any chakra at all.

Itachi, a light skinned man with long raven hair in a low ponytail, stayed silent as he glanced at his comrade. Kisame Hoshigaki. They both wore the same cloak. Black with red clouds. A sign of the organization they were a part of. The Akatsuki.

"Over there." Kisame motioned in the direction with his thumb, inching closer to the tree in question. "I smell blood. A lot of it." A wicked grin tugged at his lips as he drew closer.

Still, the raven haired man kept silent, merely watching as Kisame made his way closer and closer. Soon enough, the shark-like man's curiosity would be satiated.

"It's a woman!" Kisame called out with a laugh, once he was closer enough to see what was against that tree.

A slight eyebrow raise, and Itachi stepped closer as well, continuing forward until he could see this woman. She was slumped against a tree trunk, blood pooling to the ground beneath her. It seeped from between her fingers, which were loosely pressed against the deep wound in her stomach. The ends of her black hair dipped into the crimson pool, and her face was quite pale due to the amount of blood loss she had suffered. And her face... It was so familiar.

"She's barely alive. Should I finish the job? Put her out of her misery?" Kisame's grin grew wider as he reached back to pull Samehada from his back. It wouldn't be hard to finish her off. She was nearly dead as it was.

"No." Itachi replied simply as he recognized the woman before them.

~X~

" _ **Itachi-kun!" A young girl called out. Her hair was black, and her eyes were blue. She was no older than twelve years of age. A year younger than the boy she was calling out to.**_

" _ **Ayumi-san." The young raven haired boy replied as he turned around to look at her. Her voice was well known to him. It was one that he heard often.**_

" _ **Hi!" She grinned widely as she skidded to a stop in front of him.**_

" _ **Hello." He nodded to her.**_

" _ **What are you doing?" She asked, looking rather curious.**_

" _ **I just got back from a mission. I'm heading home now." He answered.**_

" _ **Oh, cool. I'll walk with you!" She bounced lightly on her feet as her grin grew even larger.**_

" _ **Alright." He turned and continued on his way. It wasn't unusual for her to walk with him around the village if she caught sight of him.**_

" _ **How did your mission go? Did you already turn in your mission report?" She asked as she walked along side him, clasping her fingers together in front of her.**_

" _ **It went fine, and yes, I have. I just left the Hokage's office." He continued to look straight ahead of himself.**_

" _ **Good! What did you have to do for it?" A smile came to her face.**_

" _ **It was just an escort mission."**_

" _ **Cool! Was it difficult?"**_

" _ **It was fairly easy."**_

" _ **Did you have to fight anyone?"**_

" _ **No." She was always full of so many questions. The more questions she had answered, the more questions she had. He was used to it by now. That was just the way she was. But it didn't bother him. Her presence was soothing almost.**_

" _ **Oh, okay." She nodded her head, seeming to have given up on her question asking for the time being.**_

 _ **The rest of their walk together was consumed by silence, but she certainly didn't care. and he didn't either. The silence wasn't awkward; it was almost pleasant.**_

~X~

"Fine." Kisame let out a sigh as his hand left the hilt of Samehada. "You're too serious." His words were mostly muttered to himself. And if Itachi had heard them, he gave no acknowledgment.

It was silent for a couple of minutes until one word left Itachi's mouth. Something that left Kisame feeling rather confused.

"Go."

"What?" A confused look came to Kisame's face as he looked at the raven haired man. His brow furrowed as he observed him. "Itachi-san?"

"I will not repeat myself." Itachi spoke calmly, but Kisame immediately understood the consequences if he didn't obey. They would be dire. So, as curious as he was, he knew not to press his limits here, and he quickly made himself scarce.

Once Itachi could no longer sense Kisame's chakra, or any other chakra for that matter, he knelt down in front of the bleeding woman. The flowing blood had slowed, but not ceased.

"Ayumi-san." He murmured softly, a hand reaching out and resting against her pale cheek, slightly cupping it. A soft, weak groan escaped her, but that was all.

~X~

" _ **Itachi-kun!" Ayumi excitedly called out from behind him. "Itachi-kun! Wait up!" The sound of her rapid footsteps followed, signaling that she was running to catch up to him.**_

" _ **Yes, Ayumi-san?" Itachi slowed his stride to a stop so that she could stop beside him. A brow was quirked as he looked at her.**_

" _ **J... Just a second..." She panted out, her chest heaving as her lungs tried to get the air back into them. It only took her a moment to catch her breath though, and she was soon grinning at him. "I'm going on my first B-rank mission!"**_

" _ **Is that so? Congratulations." He politely told her. The corner of his mouth twitched upward for a moment in a quick smile. But it didn't last more than a couple of seconds.**_

" _ **Thanks!" She beamed brightly. "It's supposed to take some time too, since it's an escort mission. It'll be the longest I've ever been away from the village! I'm excited, but I'm also really nervous."**_

" _ **Mm." He nodded his head. "You'll do fine."**_

" _ **Itachi-kun, are you alright?" She asked, a concerned look on her face.**_

" _ **Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He observed her.**_

" _ **I don't know... Something just seems off." She told him, chewing on her bottom lip as she peeked up at him.**_

" _ **I can assure you that I'm alright, Ayumi-san. There's no need for you to worry." She'd always been able to read him better than anyone else.**_

" _ **If you're sure..." She trailed off, still not completely sure. But she was going to trust what he said. If he said he was alright, then he was alright... Right?**_

" _ **I am." He forced a smile, trying not to let her see just how forced it was. "Good luck on your mission. You're a skilled ninja. You can handle it, but be careful."**_

" _ **Thank you, Itachi-kun! I will!" She smiled brightly, her worries completely forgotten by his compliment. "Well, I better go prepare. I leave tomorrow. I'll see you later, Itachi-kun!" She waved at him.**_

" _ **Take care, Ayumi-san." He returned the wave with a small one of his own, as well as a nod of his head.**_

 _ **She gave another farewell wave, before turning to face the direction of her home. Then she scurried off, eager for her mission the next day.**_

 _ **He stayed where he was for a moment, observing her as she left. His eyes lingered on her back until it was completely out of sight, because he knew that it would be the last time that he saw her or heard her voice.**_

~X~

The last time that he'd seen her. It was something that he could remember clearly. Her concern for him, sensing that something was off when he tried so hard to hide it. How had she gotten that good at reading him? Even after he had reassured her, he knew that she hadn't been fully convinced. But he had warded off her concern for the time being. Then she had left on her mission the next day, and the rest was in the past now.

"Itachi-kun..." was the soft murmur that left her lips, though her eyes stayed close.

His cold eyes softened ever so slightly as he looked at her face. He hadn't expected to ever see her again. And yet, here she was. His thumb brushed across her cheek, feeling the soft, but cold, skin beneath.

Her blue eyes slowly fluttered open, taking a moment to focus on the man before her. "Itachi... kun...?" Her hand pressed against her wound for a moment, before slackening once again.

He was silent for a moment, debating even speaking. But his voice betrayed him. "Ayumi-san."

"It is you..." She spoke weakly, but happily. A slight smile was on her face as her half-lidded eyes stayed on his face. She leaned her cheek into his touch. "I didn't think I'd see ever you again." She reached up the hand that wasn't against her wound, placing it over Itachi's against her cheek and squeezing the best that she could.

Her words were met with silence, but that didn't dampen her mood any. He'd always been more silent than most people. And that hadn't changed in the years since she last saw him. After a moment though, his words were soft, merely a whisper. "I didn't either."

"I'm so happy to see you again." She murmured just above a whisper, giving his hand another squeeze. She forced herself up and away from the tree, so she was closer to him. What remaining strength she had she used to lean and press a light peck to his lips.

It was a light touch that only lasted a few seconds at the most, but what mattered was she felt the pressure of a returned kiss.

A cough escaped her, causing a small driblet of blood to trail down the corner of her mouth. Her back met with the tree as she slumped back against it. One last squeeze to his hand before her own went limp and fell to the ground. "I'll see you on the other side... I'll be waiting for you." Another smile, and her eyes closed as her final breath left her.

His thumb stroked against her cheek once more, eyes full of sorrow before he stood at his full height. He gazed down at her, watching her for a moment longer. Then he turned from her, making his way to where Kisame was curiously waiting.

 _If you only knew just how soon that will be, Ayumi-san._


End file.
